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How We Help Young People Through Boxing, Mentoring and Therapy..
We are dedicated to transforming the lives of young people through our psychologically informed non-contact boxing programmes; Box Champions, Box Therapy, Box Careers and Box Juniors. With over 5,000 young people benefitting from our programmes every year across England and Wales, we are proud to have established ourselves as the UK’s leading provider of boxing-based interventions.
We run these programmes in our gym, in schools, and through a growing network of partner organisations and affiliated amateur boxing clubs in England and Wales. Our model features a powerful fusion of boxing and psychology, delivered by coaches and therapists that young people can trust, in a place where they feel safe, cared for and understood.
With Empire Fighting Chance, young people gain support in ways that are natural and enjoyable, encouraging them to turn up, relax, engage in the work and go on to make positive changes to their lives.
We also build strong and engaged relationships young people's families, communities and others who refer them to us in the first place. We take our evidence and experience to policy arenas, so we can advocate for action on youth poverty and mental health.
Who We Help:
Poverty and inequality pack a powerful punch. We fight for young people aged 8 to 25 who have been hit by their effects.
The young people we work with are often experiencing poor physical and mental health as the result of trauma and toxic conditions. Many display destructive or risky behaviours, such as criminality, gang membership, unemployment, substance misuse, or are at risk of exclusion from school. These young people face powerful barriers to accessing mainstream support, which can lead to their issues escalating until they reach a point of personal crisis.
Despite the challenging world that they have been born into, we have yet to meet a young person without talents to draw upon to change their life. We have an open door policy and we have never had a young person come to us that we couldn't work with.
We take referrals to our programmes from parents, schools, NHS mental health services, youth workers, social workers, the police, and young people themselves.
Our Impact:
Our work gives young people the skills, knowledge and inspiration they need to make positive changes to how they think and behave and to improve their lives.
We know we cannot change young people’s challenging life circumstances. Instead, our work equips young people to cope with the difficulties and crises they will face during childhood and their transition into adulthood.
With our team of mentors, coaches and therapists, young people improve their mental health, exit gangs, return to school, get jobs and go on to realise their unique potential.
Read more about our impact.
our Boxing Club Network:
Since March 2022, we have been working in partnership with our national governing body England Boxing to train amateur boxing clubs to deliver our programmes to young people in their communities. Our aim is to combat youth violence and poor mental health by offering a proven solution that can make a real difference in towns and cities across England.
We believe that boxing clubs are the perfect setting to deliver our programmes. Based in economically deprived neighbourhoods, these clubs already have credibility in their local area and are improving young people’s lives by giving them the chance to participate in sport and offering informal support. By partnering with us, boxing clubs have the opportunity to take what they currently do to a whole new level and transform their local communities.
Why Boxing Works:
Boxing is at the heart of everything we do.
Our heritage in the sport spans more than five decades running an inner-city boxing gym, creating many champions along the way. We’ve taken boxing’s unique qualities and all our experience to build a supportive and inspiring environment in which young people can grow. Our non-contact boxing-based approach offers an enjoyable experience that young people can be proud of, attracting them to our programmes and ensuring they keep turning up.
For us, boxing isn't just a sport, it's a way of life. We're passionate about using boxing to help young people to achieve their full potential and lead happy, healthy lives. Here's why it works.
CREDIBILITY
Boxing holds a unique street credibility that can effectively engage and motivate young people to show up week after week. This sport has the power to break down negative stigmas associated with traditional support systems for young people. Rather than seeking out a service or professional, young people can engage in boxing and receive natural support without feeling ashamed for needing help.
BOXING FAMILY
Entering a boxing gym for the first time can be a very intimidating experience, but we make sure young people enter into a space where they feel welcomed, safe, supported and cared for. We are consistently present for young people when others cannot be. Like that of a good family, our support is unconditional, and we are always in their corner.
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP
Young people will only listen to us if we have earned their trust. This can be challenging as their relationships with adults are often characterised by inconsistency, neglect, and violence. Young people gain support from someone they can relate to and feel comfortable talking with – a young boxing coach or boxing therapist kitted out in tracksuit bottoms and an ‘Empire hoodie’. Our staff use boxing to build rapport with young people and encourage them to relax, drop their guard and open up to us.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Boxing is a physically demanding sport that provides significant health benefits for young people. Our sessions increase levels of physical activity and address health issues such as obesity. Exercise releases 'feel-good' chemicals that create happier moods and reduce the risk of depression. Boxing also helps manage anger issues by providing a physical release in a safe, controlled environment.
SELF-BELIEF
At Empire, we know that building self-esteem, confidence, and resilience is key to helping young people make positive changes in their lives. Our boxing sessions provide young people with an opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, improving their sense of self-worth. We've seen time and time again how boxing helps young people who start their programme with their head down to finish it standing tall.
PSYCHOLOGY
The support that we seamlessly weave into boxing is informed by the study of the mind and behaviour. Guided by our psychologist, we offer young people evidence-based psychological tools and techniques so that they can improve how they think and behave. We bring the theory to life by using boxing exercises and metaphors and work with young people to apply it to their individual lives.
LIFE SKILLS
Our boxing sessions teach young people essential life skills such as perseverance, discipline, respect, and pride. These skills are transferable outside the ring into education and employment, helping young people build successful lives beyond Empire.
To refer a young person to any of our programmes, email: [email protected]
